


Around the campfire

by IsisKitsune



Series: Among Vampires and Androids [25]
Category: Almost Human, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Background Character Death, Backstory, Campfires, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Major Character Injury, Male Bonding, Rescue Missions, Self-Harm, Starvation, Stranded, Survival, Touch Telepathy, Transporter Malfunction, Vampire!John, Vampires, psychic shock, redshirts - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2018-02-17 02:42:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2293988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisKitsune/pseuds/IsisKitsune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bones was cursing up a storm, automatically reaching out to grab the shoulder of the nearest person when pain shot up his right leg, “Goddamnit. What the fuck happened?!”</p><p>“It seems the transporter malfunctioned. You need medical attention, but it seems we are the only ones left on this planet.”</p><p>“I’ll be alright, damn thing hurts too much in too many places to be fatal.” It didn’t stop him from attempting to tie off his right leg, grimacing at the pain but more so the white protruding from the flesh and blood free flowing out of the wound. “McCoy to Enterprise, Jim what the fuck happened!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Around the campfire

**Author's Note:**

> So, I started this a long time ago but I can't Spock for shit so it took forever. Sorry -.-
> 
> I'm not sure how to tag a lot of this so I just threw what looked right at it.
> 
> Edit: Holy shit I forgot the summary?! I'm surprised I got any hits at all -.-

Bones was cursing up a storm, automatically reaching out to grab the shoulder of the nearest person when pain shot up his right leg, “God _damnit_. What the fuck happened?!”

“It seems the transporter malfunctioned. You need medical attention, but it seems we are the only ones left on this planet.”

“I’ll be alright, damn thing hurts too much in too many places to be fatal.” It didn’t stop him from attempting to tie off his right leg, grimacing at the pain but more so the white protruding from the flesh and blood free flowing out of the wound. “McCoy to Enterprise, Jim what the fuck happened!”

“Bones! Are you alright? We lost your signature.”

“Broke my fucking leg, but other than that I’m stuck planet side with the green blooded bastard that got me into this mess in the first place.”

“The doctor is in dire need of medical attention. I suggest you get the transporter working as quickly as possible.”

“Spock, damnit, I’m fine! I’ve taken worse. I just need to stay awake or I might be out for awhile depending on how bad the damage, really.” Spock seemed a little unsure about letting the doctor lower himself to the rocky ground before searching their gear. “Damnit, the med kit made the jump.”

Bones could almost hear the wincing on the other side of the line, “I wouldn’t say it ‘made it’ but yeah, it looks like that could have been what it was.”

Spock’s brow rose as Bones frowned, “What do you mean, “could have been”?”

“You don’t want to know Bones, I’m serious. Just, hold on, we’ll see about sending down a ship.”

“Non-warp planet Jim, don’t pull that shit, it almost lost you the Enterprise the first time!”

“It’s the safer option; it just may take awhile to get there.”

Bones groaned when the com went dead and barely reigned in the urge to throw the damn thing. “Looks like we’re stuck here.”

“Doctor, what would be the best course of action to tend your wounds?”

Bones laughed, it stopped short when it caused a sudden shooting pain up his leg. “Basically, the same as any species; stop the bleeding, repair what can be repaired, the only real difference is the dietary regiment. And I’d say that ain’t happening since I’m not one to go chewing on unknown species of animals.”

“I should get supplies for a fire.”

Bones mumbled something while he pulled the binding on his leg tighter. The sudden sound of his com made him jump before he pulled it open, “What is it now Jim?”

“John, how bad is the injury? Scotty lost the signal some 100 feet from the planet’s surface and you haven’t fed for at least a week.”

Bones sighed and rubbed his eyes, “At least two compound fractures, the shin for sure, I can’t tell if the knee cap is dislocated or damaged, too much blood to actually get a look at it. The leg’s still attached so I’m doing better than last time,” Bones smirked and could mentally see that eye roll and hear a mumble in the background that had to be the bot complaining to someone. “I’m fine, Dorian, seriously. Just banged up to hell and back, I’m just a few pints low.”

“I’ll be sure to send blood. Does Spock know the danger he’s in?”

Bones laughed loud enough that he caught sight of a black mop and pointed ears sticking out of a bush some distance away, he just waved at the snooping Vulcan before smiling, “He’ll be fine. His blood doesn’t smell right, and he should know better than getting between me and prey if it comes to that.”

“Define ‘doesn’t smell right’.”

“He smells kind of like you do. Human, but not. Doesn’t even make my stomach growl.”

“Yes, but you go after animals as well as humans.”

“Dorian, I’m fine. Just get the damn transporters working already.”

“Scotty has officially taken the transporters offline until they figure out what happened, it’s not a very pretty picture up here John… We won’t risk that happening to you until we’re 100% sure it’s not going to happen again. We lost at least 2 ensigns.”

“At least?”

“Yeah, uh, we’re running DNA testing to see if there’s more than 2 sources there. And you’re the first to contact us since the incident.”

Bones grimaced before looking toward the area he knew Spock to be foraging around, “Spock, Dorian says at least 2 dead from the transporter. Probably more.”

The Vulcan stilled momentary as he carried a good amount of oddly colored wood before nodding acceptance and beginning to construct a fire pit. “I do not believe we have anything to start the fire.”

Bones rolls his eyes and attempts to get up, ending with Spock forcing his way under his arm and nearly carrying him closer to the pit, “Just get me a couple branches of hard wood. I’ll show ya how we did it in the old days.”

The first branches Spock found, one was too soft for the other to do anything other than carve grooves in, but then they could use a nest for it so Bones went about making a tinder bundle while Spock searched out a better branch. “Spock, grab some dry moss or something, we’ll probably need a torch come nightfall.” Bones frowned and rubbed his eyes when the Vulcan came back with what was asked, he had an odd look on his face, it made the old doctor wonder if he was in some sort of shock. “Wait, this is from you touching me, isn’t it? Damn touch telepaths! I’m not in that much pain.” Spock actually shuddered and sat back on his heels from where he was helping Bones set up the fire once the doctor got it going.

“I am alright.”

Bones rolled his eyes and shuffled through what he could of their gear to throw him a water. “No firestarter but goddamn bottled water. You can be damn sure I’m bringing this up when we get back.” Spock took a miniscule sip of water before offering it back to the doctor, “Look, I know your lot doesn’t need that much to stay hydrated but shock hits hard. Take a real drink.” Bones was watching Spock’s pulse as he tilted his head back to take a real gulp of water and let out a relieved sigh when the fluttering calmed back to its normal pace. “Alright, now, since I’m stuck here, you’ll have to find your own food source.”

“What about yourself?”

Bones just tried to shift back to get comfortable, wincing when the action pulled at his leg which started bleeding again, “I’ll be fine ‘til they get here. You’ll need something, preferably with natural sugars in case you have a glucose fluctuation from the psychic shock.” Spock looking like he was about to argue, or rather state logical reasons why this was without a doubt a bad scenario. “Damnit Spock, I’m fine. I’m in pain but nothing life threatening. God take care of yourself, get over whatever touching me screwed up in that overly logical skull of yours. I’ll be alright for 10 minutes. Oh, and if you find a good sturdy stick, bring it back. I need a crutch. Ain’t having you haul me around again.”

Too bad Bones didn’t count on predators. He ended up a good 10 feet from the fire stuck under a large feline of some kind. “Don’t ask, just get the damn thing off me, it reeks!” Spock was already running to grab at the beast, not realizing it was already deceased until he saw what looked like yellow paint spilling out across the pinned doctor’s chest, “God, I’m gonna be sick.” Bones was trying not to retch at the rancid smell of blood, spitting out what bit he had gotten a taste of during the fight. “Fuck, what the hell is that thing!? Get it away from me.” Spock automatically help lift the injured doctor and pull him back to the fire. “Fucking sulfur based blood. Fuck,” Bones finally did lose his fight against the retching, though there was nothing in his stomach to expel. Spock wasn’t quite as lucky. “I know it feels bad, but try not to get sick. We don’t need us both out of commission out here.”

Spock was a little greener around the gills than usual but somehow he kept himself in check as he helped Bones settle next to the fire. “I take it that the meat would not assist you in healing.”

“Doubt it, sulfur is bad for humans and still makes me wanna hurl. And Vulcans don’t eat meat. We can’t leave it sitting out like that, other predators will come following the scent.”

“It is not that Vulcans cannot eat meet, we prefer not to.” Bones blinked at that then notice the severe lack of supplies that Vulcan had returned with, “It appears that most of the vegetation are poisonous.”

“Huh, didn’t know that. I’m betting the meat is poisonous what with all the stink coming off it anyway,” Bones grumbled as he tended the fire while Spock attempted to dispose of the carcass.

It was some time later than Spock returned, more than a little dirty and appearing to be a bit offput by it. Bones just offered him another drink of water and smiled when the Vulcan attempted to get his hands clean before giving up and looking to be attempting to glare down at the grit on them. “I don’t get how you desert dwellers can be some damn sensitive about your hands. I could never stay clean out there.”

Spock tilted his head slightly, “I was unaware Georgia was a desert.”

Bones rolled his eyes, “Spock, you don’t even realize that most of the stuff on my paperwork is a load of shit, do you? Georgia was just where Leonard McCoy was born and raised, I couldn’t go changing that and having Starfleet checking up on me. We already hide what I am when we’re back on Earth or have the Brass visiting.” Bones sighed at the even more confused look, “Superiors, old slang for higher-ups.”

Spock finally blinked and nodded acceptance, perhaps not understanding but at least acceptance of the term. “We should inform them of your condition.”

“Spock, I don’t intend to be shoved into a cryo tube and left in some storage facility to be forgotten. I’ve already paid my dues, I’ve changed my ways and I have no intention to go back to hating humans.”

Spock nodded in understanding, “I can see your point.”

“Yeah, humans may be a hell of a lot better on acceptance, especially since your kind came around, but they still have a lot of anger toward my kind. They didn’t cover the purge during your schooling, I bet. Humans think they eradicated all forms of blood drinkers back in the early 21st century. They damn near did too. I’ve only ever seen a handful of vampires since then and most of them were my hive. The human ones, I had to put down myself. They go rabid after awhile. I think it has something to do with the mutation that caused them.”

Spock’s eyes did that damn thing Bones hated where they seemed to go from calm to alert. “And you have had no issues yourself?”

“Spock, I’m a hybrid. I’m the first and only attempt I’ve seen that was a success between human and pure vampire. I was, well sort of, human when this happened to me. ‘Sort of’, no one knows exactly what causes Priests. I still haven’t figured that out, since I haven’t found anyone that would have been deemed one in the old days. Hell it was probably a human adaption to the predatory threat or something. They just, died out.”

Spock’s brows dropped low, “What would a religious leader have to do with a predatory threat?”

Bones smirked, “That’s just what they called them. Not priest as in a sermon leader, a Priest as in a warrior. Someone beyond a human’s physical ability. Now the Order was, at some point, a religious faction that grew into a fucking dictatorship or something. If they found you showed potential they’d steal you away and force you into the role of soldier. You did what they said or you’d be punished. And trust me, you’d rather walk head first into a hive unarmed than piss them off.” Bones paused to scratch at the stubble from not being able to shave all day and sighed, “Hell, I coulda given you a run for your money when I was human. Kinda makes me wonder if your strength was just from the Vulcan genetics or if you have some potential without them.”

Bones jumped when his communicator went off, “McCoy here, tell me good news.”

“Bones, there’s some sort of magnetic storm in your area. Scotty thinks this is what caused the transporter mess but we can’t get a lock on your position for the landing party. They’re going to have to wait it out or risk doing a fly by.”

“Fuck no, fly bys! If the natives see you we’re all screwed.”

“It should clear out in a few hours. M’Benga and Chapel are aboard.”

Bones groaned and scratched his head, “Alright, we’ll wait out the storm.”

Spock blinked when the doctor closed his communicator. “Something is wrong.”

“Someone musta beamed aboard, someone out of the loop if Jim’s calling Dorian M’Benga.”

“That would mean you need to hide your ability to recover quickly and your need for blood.”

“Exactly, fuck, by now any human would be dead. I’m going to have to fake sleep to get back aboard without incidence.” Bones couldn’t stop himself from growling as he pulled his tourniquet tighter. “I’m likely to go out for real and stay out for awhile. I guess vampires have something like your Vulcan healing trance. It’s not the first time it’s happened. Last time I lost my leg.”

“You forgot your arm was nearly severed when you assisted Dorian and myself.”

Bones rolled his eyes, “Right, how could I forget.” He looked at his communicator before punching in Dorian’s com code.

“M’Benga here.”

“Dorian, please tell me you have a good supply with you?”

“Chapel grabbed what she could but we couldn’t get beyond 10 units. Do you think that’ll be enough to hold you over until we get rid of the nanny?”

Bones grinned, wincing when his fangs snagged on his dried lips, “I’m severely dehydrated, you may have to put me under to keep Christine safe.” He could faintly hear the soft whirling of the bot’s processor. “I’m serious D, don’t let her out here until I’m under or fed. I don’t have any draw toward Spock as food, his Vulcan blood is just not right. But a normal human wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Alright John, I’ll make sure she doesn’t come out.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem man. It’ll be a couple hours at least before we can get down there.”

“I know, just hurry up about it. It’s getting dark.”

Dorian was chuckling, “The dark never bothered you before.”

“Yeah well I’m on an unknown planet with no food and already had one predator thinking I’m an easy meal.”

“Understood, I’ve got to go and start prepping for our arrival.”

Bones smiled at the sad tone before the com went dead. “Love you too, damn bucket of bolts.”

“Fraternization with personal is frowned upon by Starfleet command.”

“Yeah well, they also know that 5 years in space without intimate contact can raise hell on your nerves, especially when they throw the same people into a ship and expect them to bond anyway. So it’s shrugged off as an inevitable.”

It was nearly an hour before Spock caught him rubbing at his wound and unconsciously licking his fingers. “Doctor.”

Bones realized what he was doing and held up his hands, “Sorry, automatic response. Woulda been doing it all along if I wasn’t more worried about predators and getting back to the ship.”

He stopped for all of two minutes before he started again, this time Spock didn’t mention it but he did grip his wrist when his started digging at the wound when the blood was dry, “Self mutilation will not help your condition.”

Bones jerked back, more at his own stupidity than Spock’s interference. His injured leg bouncing a couple times before he stopped it. “Fuck, I’m acting like a goddamn familiar! I hate starving!!” It didn’t stop him from grabbing at the wound when it broke back open though, or lapping up what he could get from the flow. “I’m alright, I just, I need to keep from clawing, that’s all.”

Spock was very watchful as he fed the fire when it became darker. “Are you sure you are alright?”

“No, I’m hungry. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done this. I just wasn’t injured at the time.” Bones forced himself to stop and dig his claws into the dirt when the bleeding finally stopped again. “I need fresh blood. Fucking planet. I hate space.”

Bones jumped when his com went off again, this time nearly forgetting it when the wound broke back open but Spock stopped him from clawing at it, “Your communicator.”

“Right, right, fuck. McCoy, tell me good news!”

“The storm let up, we’ll touchdown in 5.”

“Dorian, I could kiss you! KEEP CHRISTINE THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!”

“Got it.” The com went dead and Bones dropped it rather than put it away, the only thing keeping him from tearing at his wounds was Spock’s strong arms wrapping around him and forcing him to stay still. It didn’t stop the vampire from growling or trying to bite at them but they were both safe until the ship arrived.

“Dorian, it may be best to sedate the doctor.”

“Not yet,” Dorian knelt down, activating old programming and wincing when he felt Bones latch onto his shoulder trying to find nutriment. “You can let him go now, I’ve got him.” Dorian felt claws dig into his chest plate and forced the teeth out of his neck, “You can’t get blood there, here.” Bones instantly caught sight of the bag of red and tore into it. Dorian chuckled softly when he ended up wearing more of it than he drank. “Slow down man, there’s plenty more.”

They got him to take 5 bags before Chapel’s worry got the best of her and she stepped out of the ship, “Is he alright?”

Gold eyes locked onto the fresh source and it took both Dorian and Spock to pin him and administer the sedative. “We’ve got maybe 30 minutes before that wears off. Let’s get him back and restrained. Chapel, set up a drip. Get the rest of the blood flowing on the way.”

Chapel shook off the sudden fear caused by the outburst while Dorian and Spock transported the sedated vampire into the transport. “But he’ll be alright, right?”

“John’s been through worse,” Dorian didn’t leave the vampire’s side until long after they’d ensured his injuries were healing and the superior that nearly thwarted their rescue mission was gone. Even then it was only to make sure he had enough charge to get back to his partner.

It still took nearly a month for those golden eyes to blink back open. “How long was I out this time?”

Dorian attempted to hide a smirk, “Man, I got some bad news for you…”

Bones just rolled his eyes, “Don’t even try that shit D, I know what my on ICU looks like.”

Dorian laughed and hugged him.


End file.
